Machine for putting on the ends of fruit and other cans



"2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

B. NORTON.

MAGHINE FOR PUTTING. ON THE ENDS 0]? FRUIT AND OTHER CANS. No. 267,014.

Patented N0v. 7, 1882.

N. PETERS. Pholo-Lilhognphsr. Wa-hin mn. 0.0.

2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

, E. NORTON. v MACHINE FOR PUTTING- ON THE ENDS T FRUIT AND OTHER CANS.No.'267,0l 4.

Patented Nov. 7, 1882.

PETERS. Pnowmhn n yr. wuhin nm 0.0.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

EDWIN NORTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR PUTTING ON THE ENDS 0F FRUIT AND OTHER CANS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 267,014, dated November7, 1882.

' Application filed June 24, 1582. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN NORTON, of Ohicago, county of (look, and Stateof Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMachines for Putting on the Ends of Fruit and other Cans, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine for putting on the ends of fruit andother cans,wherein the joint by which the ends are secured to the bodyis of the variety commonly called the slip-joint, in contradistinctionfrom aseamed or turned joint. The objects sought are the performance ofthis operation automatically and with speed and efficiency.

Heretofore machines have been constructed for applying the heads to thatclass of cans where the flange of the head is inserted inside thecan-body, or where the head is crimped on the can-body. In such machinesthe interior of the can-body is ordinarily sized so as to fit andreceive within it the can-head by means of an interior mandrel orformer, which is forced inside the can-body while it is secured withinamold or holder, and then the can-head is dropped or pressed into placeinside the canbody, as illustrated in Letters Patent No. 235,700,granted to George H. Pierce, Decem ber 21, 1880. As the can-bodies areoriginally formed around an inside mandrel, the interior diameteroi'thecans varies, if at all, very slightly, and the side seam alsoordinarily forms no projection on the inside of the can, as it does .onthe outside, so that the operation of applying the heads to this classof cans would be comparatively simple and easy, even if the headswererequired to fitthecan-bodies tightly, which, however, is not thecase. But heretofore no successful method has yet been devised forautomatically applying the heads or covers to that class of cans whereinthe flange of the cover slips or fits over the body of the can, formingthe ordinary slip-joint. In that class of cans it is essential that theheads or covers, when snapped on the can-body, should fit the same verytightly and accurately; and as the exterior diameters of the can-bodiesalways vary somewhat, owing to the varying thickness of the diti'erentparts of the stock from which they are made, the operation of snappingor fitting the heads on the can-bodies is one of considerabledifficulty, and when done by hand,

as it heretofore always has been done, it requires skilled labor, and isa slow and tedious operation. The heads or covers for the cans areformed by a stamp, so that their interior diameters are always preciselythe same, and in my machine the can-bodies are placed within a cansizing and clamping mold and compressed thcrcby until the exteriordiameter of the can-body is made to conform accurately to the interiordiameter of the head, and so held while the head is forced upon thecan-body, the mold or holder being cut away or enlarged at each end toconform to the exterior diameter of the head, thus leavingan annularspace between-the can-body and mold conformingto the thickness and widthof the flange on the can head or end, into which annular space the headis forced, and then the mold is opened and the headed can discharged.

within a clamping-n1 old con forming accurately in shape and dimensionto the exterior of the can-body, and while confined in this mold the endof the can is forced upon the body by a piston entering the mouth of themold, room being provided for the entrance between a the mold andcan-body ot' the flange borne upon the end ol the can by chamfering awaythe interior of the mold slightly as far as said flange extends. Themold is also preferably made tapering at the month, where the can end isreceived, so as to guide the end accurately to the body and insure theregistering of one withthe other. In the furtherance of speed, I place aseries of these molds, accompanied by pistons, upon arms radiating fromand re volving around a com mon center or upon a wheel, and at propertimes actuate the molds to clamp and release the cans and the pistons toput on the ends by means of suitable devices with which they areconnected or come in contact during the rotation of the arms or wheel.All these and other features of invention I will proceed to describewith the aid of the drawings, in which- Figure l is a side view of mymachine. Fig. 2 is a front view, partly in section. Fig.3 is a detaillongitudinal section through one of the molds and its pistons.

In said drawings, A represents the frame of In this invention thecan-bodyis firstplaced the machine, and B a stationary or non-revolvingshaft mounted thereon. Secured upon this shaft so as to rotate aroundthe same as a common center are a series of pairs of arms, 0, each pairwhereof supports .one of the clamping-molds and its piston or pistons.The inner half, D,of themold is fixed upon thearms; but the outer halfis divided into two parts, D

p D, which are made capable of opening to receive the can-body and ofclosing in clamping it by hinging them at d to projections from theunder half, D.

The actuating-power in operating the moving parts is obtained throughthejointed levers d 01 of which there is one for each part D, from anannular grooved cam, E, and a pin, 01 engaging therewith and securedin across-piece, d connecting the two levers d A transverse slot, d in theinner half, D, permits the entrance within the same of the levers d dwhen the mold is opened,as olearlyillustrated.

The annular cam is preferably made in two parts, each the counterpart ofthe other, and the pin d to extend both ways so as to enter both suchparts. The cam is fixed upon the shaft B, and is shaped and positionedso as to close the moldimmediately afterthe can-body has been receivedtherein, and to discharge it as soon as the end has been forced on. Thusin the machine illustrated the can-body is fed from the trough F, themold being open when it reaches that point. It is then immediatelyclosed, as shown, by the mold at the top of Fig. 1 and remainscloseduntil the mold reaches the discharge-trough F.

Between the parts of the cam is a ring, G, loosely encircling the mainshaft. This ring is provided with radial recesses g, into whichextensions g of the cross-pieces oil are fitted and slide, serving asguides to the parts operating the moving sides of the molds, andinsuring a perfectly true push or movement thereof by the cam.

Accompanying each mold is a feed passage or chute, H, through which thecan ends are fed into position at the open mouths of the molds, and apiston, I, having a head, 2', corresponding in form and dimension asnearly as may be with the can end. These pistons are actuated to theirduty of forcing the ends upon thecan-bodies by the contactottheirouterends with the stationary cams 1 upon the bed of the frame A, suchcontact taking place before the mold has reached the discharge-chute F.After the pistons have been thus actuated they are retracted by springs'6, inserted in the interiorthereof, and confined between the close endof the'same and a pin, i passing through longitudinal slots, '6 in thesides of the piston (see dotted lines, Fig. 3) and secured in theencircling barrel 1 wherein the piston slides. This barrel is securedupon an arm, 0, in any appropriate manner. After the can has been cappedor ended thus the. annular cam forces the mold open, and in so doing theparts which enter the transverse slot 01 eject the can into the chute F.

| As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the end of the mold is chamferedawayinteriorly to give room to the flange of the cap or can end to passoutside the can-body. This is a very essential feature, and I also givethe mold a slightly flaring opening, terminating at the point where thecap and body first meet, so the former may be deflected to the rightposition if it is not accurately positioned at the time the pistonbegins to move it.

Power is communicated to the mechanism from the shaft J through thebevel-gears J J the latter being keyed to the hub G, from which one ofeach pair of the arms 0 radiates, and the power so given to the armsupon one side-is carried to those upon the other side through the moldswhich connect them together.

I have shown duplicate chutes for the can caps and pistons at each endof the molds.

It will be understood that the invention may be used to cap one end at atime or both ends, as desired. Nor do I wish to be limited to arms 0,arranged in pairs, nor to the precise manner of opening the molds, norto the precise operating mechanism therefor, because these features mayobviously be varied in many respects.

A mold constructed alter my inventionthat is, so as to conform to theexterior of the can-body-fits the body accurately and presseswithequalclampingforce upon every partthereof. The body is thus madestrong to resist of the cap or end in perfectly true form and withoutthe aid of an interior mandrel or forming device. The chutes throughwhich the ends are fed to the molds serve the additional functionofguidingthe can-body in its entrance to the mold.

Instead of providing a separate piston for each one of the molds, asshown in the drawings, if preferred, a single pair of non-revolvingpistons may be used but in this case obviously the pistons must beoperated by other devices than the stationary cams shown, and thecarriage upon which the molds are mounted would require an intermittentinstead of a continuous motion; and in this case,also, instead ofproviding a series of chutes for the can ends, a single stationary pairwill suffice, and I do not wish to limit myself to any particular formor construction of can-mold or means ofoperating said mold to clamp orrelease the can, nor to any particular devices for forcing the can endupon the can-body when secured in said mold, as all these features ordevices may be greatly varied without departing from the principle oressential characteristic of my invention.

be mounted upon a reciprocating slide or an endless belt or other deviceinstead of the revolving wheel shown in the drawings.

I claim- 1. In a machine for applying to can-bodies heads fittingoutside the same, the combinacollapse, and is presented for theapplication ICC IIO

It may also be observed that the molds may tion of a device for sizingthe exterior diameter of the can-body to conform to the interiordiameter of the can-head and holding the same so sized while the head isapplied, said sizing and holding device having its end enlarged to fitthe exterior diameter of the can-head, so as to leave an annular spacebetween it and the 'can-body for the reception of the flange of thecan-head, with a device for forcing the can-head into said annularspace, and thereby applying the head outside the can-bod y,substantially as specified.

2. In a machine for applying to can-bodies heads fitting outside thesame, the combination'of a chute or device for delivering the can-bodiesto the machine, with a movable device for 'clampin g the can-body andsizing its exterior diameter to conform to the interior diameter of thecan-head, said clamping and sizing device having its end or mouthenlarged to leave an annular space between the same andthec'an-loody.clamped therein for the reception of the flange of the head,a chute or the heads to both ends of a can, the combina- 0 tion of aseries of movable devices for clamping the can-body and sizing itsexterior diameter to conform to the interior diameter of the can-heads,said clamping and sizing devices having enlargements at each end ormouthfor the reception of the can-heads outside the canbody, withdevices for simultaneously forcing the can-heads on each end of thecan-body into the annular spaces at each end thereof between thecan-body and said clamping and siz- 40 in g device, substantially asspecified.

EDWIN NORTON.

Witnesses:

EDMUND ADoocK, T. EVERETT BROWN.

